


The Door Prize

by PlanetClare



Category: Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types, Marvel, Marvel (Comics), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Winter Soldier (Comics)
Genre: Affirmation, Anxiety, Bucky Barnes Feels, Bucky Barnes Needs a Hug, Caring, Confidence, Cybernetics, Darcy Lewis Feels, Darcy Lewis's Taser, Duty, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Guardian Angel, Helpful Bucky Barnes, Helpfulness, Honesty, Jealousy, Love, New Beginnings, Protection, Protective Bucky Barnes, Protective Darcy Lewis, Redemption, Separation Anxiety, Spies & Secret Agents, Starting Over, Support, Suspicions, Trust Issues, Truth, Winter Soldier - Freeform, Winter Soldier Bucky Barnes, bucky barnes to the rescue, door prize, fulfillment, hopefullness, respect, self-confidence, suspects, white lies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-27
Updated: 2020-09-27
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:09:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,785
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26685682
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PlanetClare/pseuds/PlanetClare
Summary: Bucky uses his skill set to come to Darcy’s assistance.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes & Jessica Drew, James "Bucky" Barnes/Darcy Lewis
Comments: 8
Kudos: 54





	The Door Prize

**Author's Note:**

> © 2020 Planet Press
> 
> The Marvel characters herein are the property of Marvel Comics which retains the rights. The character of Mr. Higgins was created by this author.

Bucky Barnes had been working out of the country for just over two weeks and upon his return from his adoptive country, Wakanda, he looked forward to having a few days to relax. More importantly, he could not wait to see Darcy Lewis.

Unfortunately, the reunion would have to wait a bit longer as Darcy was out of state assisting her astrophysicist boss, Jane Foster, who was investigating a celestial anomaly in the sky over an area of Vermont. At least that is what Darcy’s text message read. Bucky would not have been at all surprised if the anomaly were something to do with Asgard, so he suggested that Darcy and Jane simply ask Thor about it.

Two days after his return, Bucky was just finishing his morning workout when he got another text message from Darcy.

> MsMP3: Hey, you! I’m back.  
>  SoldierBoy: Can’t wait to see you!  
>  MsMP3: Come over for lunch, and maybe stay for... 😊  
>  SoldierBoy: See you at noon.

With a broad smile on his face, Bucky stripped and showered. When he was done, he dried off and wrapped the towel around himself. Going to his petit kitchen, he started an egg to boil on the stove and then walked to the drawers next to his bed where he pulled out clothing to wear that day. He selected a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt and put them on before returning to the kitchen.

When the egg was finished boiling, Bucky peeled and quickly ate it. “Hot!” he mumbled as he continued to chew.

With his hair still slightly damp from his shower, Bucky put on his black leather jacket. On his way out of his tiny apartment, he thought, ‘I should pick up some flowers for Darcy,’ and made his way to the local farmer’s market.

Approaching a fruit stand, Bucky bought four large plums which the vendor placed in a brown paper bag. As he bid the man a good day and turned to leave, the soldier suddenly saw a familiar face.

“Jess?” he called to a young woman standing nearby. He walked toward the raven-haired beauty just as she turned and saw him.

Although Jessica Drew was currently a private investigator, as Spider-Woman, she had worked with her fellow former Hydra assassin on a few occasions.

“Bucky? Fancy meeting you here!” she remarked in dismay.

“I was just thinking the same thing,” replied the soldier before looking down at the baby resting his head on her chest as he hung in a baby sling. “He’s getting big!”

“And heavy, too,” she advised with a sharp laugh as the breeze caught her long black tresses and blew a few strands across her face.

“Who’s a big boy, huh?” Bucky asked the baby as he tickled the lad’s left foot. The tot gurgled and smiled up at him adoringly.

Little did the two know it, but they were being observed. Standing at the window of the coffee shop across the street, Darcy was transfixed as she watched Bucky and the brunette.

“How ya doin’, pal? You being a good boy?” asked the soldier as he continued to play with the baby and tickle his tummy through the baby sling.

“Gerry has his moments, but he’s generally as good as gold,” Jessica confessed.

“Darcy?” called a blonde barista from behind the coffee shop’s counter.

‘Who _is_ that?’ Darcy wondered as she tried to read Bucky and Jessica’s lips.

“So, what are you doing ‘round here? You working a case?” Bucky asked as he took hold of the baby’s left foot and shook it gently with his right hand.

“Actually, I just wrapped up a case and fancied a few days’ break. We’re just walking around taking the air, aren’t we, Gerry?” she asked the child.

“Darcy!” the barista called again.

Without turning or looking away, Darcy replied, “Yeah...be right there!”

“No Roger?” Bucky asked curiously.

“Roger’s off...uh...truth be told, I’m not quite sure _where_ Roger is,” Jessica admitted with a nervous laugh. “What are you up to?”

“Just got back from Wakanda.”

“Work or pleasure?” she wondered.

“Work,” he stated.

“As if I had to ask,” she quipped.

Ignoring the jab, he continued, “Now, I’m on my way to catch up with a friend.”

“Does this friend carry a shield?” she asked with a wink.

Smiling shyly, Bucky confessed, “No. As a matter of fact, she doesn’t.”

“Ooooh – _‘she’_ is it? Well, well...Good on you, Bucky!” Jessica exclaimed. “I won’t keep you any longer, then. It’s great seeing you.”

“Yeah, you too, Jess,” he agreed earnestly.

“Say good-bye to Bucky,” she encouraged baby Gerry. He cooed and kicked his feet playfully as he gazed up at the handsome soldier.

Darcy was somewhat taken aback when Bucky gently stroked the baby’s hair before kissing him on the top of his head.

‘Who IS she?’ Darcy still pondered amazed as she was to see the soldier look so happy to see the woman and child. ‘That’s the way he smiles when he sees _me,’_ she realized as she grew even more intrigued by the encounter. ‘He told me his little sister’s in her late 90s and lives in an Alzheimer’s home, but maybe this lady’s a great niece or something...’

Leaning forward, Bucky kissed Jessica on her left cheek. “You take care of yourself, Jess. If you need anything, let me know.”

“Thanks. You too, Buck.”

“Darcy!” the barista called yet again.

“All right!” she snapped as she forced herself to leave the window. She was disappointed upon her return to see that both Bucky and the brunette were gone. Having lost sight of them, Darcy wondered if they had left together. Actually, Bucky had made his way to a flower stand beyond her view where he was scrutinizing the colorful bouquets.

Disheartened, Darcy left the coffee shop and once out on the sidewalk, she looked up and down the street. With no sign of either Bucky or Jessica, she frowned.

‘Why is this bugging me?’ she wondered. ‘I’m not jealous, am I? Oh, my God...I’m jealous!’ she suddenly realized. ‘That’s just crazy. There’s no reason to be jealous...but for some reason, I am.’

As she continued to walk toward her apartment building, Darcy began to feel guilty about her feelings toward Jessica.

‘She’s obviously just a friend of his – nothing to be alarmed about.’

Inside the building, Darcy met her superintendent on the first landing of stairs.

“Hey, Mr. Higgins!” she greeted him with a smile.

“Hello there, Miss Darcy! How are you today?” the elderly man asked. Wearing a plaid work shirt and baggy jeans, he always reminded her of a kindly grandfather.

“I’m good...and you?”

“Well, at my age, folks get aches and pains, but I won’t complain. Say, how’s that young fella of yours? I haven’t seen him in a while.”

“Oh, he’s out there cheating on me,” she mumbled.

“What’s that, young lady?”

“I said he’s doing fine – just working a lot,” she said speaking up.

“Oh, I see. Well, you tell him I said hello.”

“I’ll do that, sir. You have a good day,” Darcy chirped.

“You as well!” Mr. Higgins replied with a nod of his head. “Such a nice young couple,” he said under his breath as he continued down the stairs.

* * * * * *

An hour later, Bucky strolled down the street as he snacked on a ripe plum. With his duffel bag slung over his right shoulder, he tossed the plum’s pit into a trash can, wiped his right hand on his t shirt, and climbed the front steps of Darcy’s apartment building. In his gloved left hand, he gripped a colorful bouquet of flowers and a small brown bag of the remaining plums. Just as he was about to press the button on the keypad, he abruptly stopped.

With his right index finger hovering over the button, Bucky thought for a few moments.

‘Darcy told me I could start letting myself in, so maybe I should do it.’

Putting his hand into his jacket pocket, he retrieved his keys. Using the one for the building’s door, he let himself in and briskly climbed the stairs.

Upon reaching Darcy’s apartment door, Bucky selected the key and opened the door.

“Honey? I’m home!” he joked as he quickly closed the door and reset the alarm which he had installed before he left for Wakanda a few weeks earlier. “Darcy?”

Looking over at her kitchen, he saw the lovely brunette standing at the counter singing as she chopped vegetables for the salad that she was assembling.

“I decided to let myself in today,” he proudly informed her as he dropped his duffel bag at the sofa and stood in her living room still holding the bouquet and bag of plums.

With her headphones in her ears, Darcy continued to sing and sway to the music unaware that Bucky was behind her.

“Never gonna give you up  
Never gonna let you down  
Never gonna run around and desert you...”

When Bucky took a step closer to her, Darcy caught a glimpse of him out of the corner of her eye. Startled, she flinched and turned to face him.

“Dang, Winter! You scared the life out of me!” she gasped as she pulled out the headphones with her left hand.

“I’m sorry, ‘Darce.’ I thought you heard me,” he explained as he placed the plums on the counter. “You said I could start letting myself in...”

“Yeah, I did – a couple of weeks ago.”

“Well...I decided to do it today.”

“So I see, but I have a knife in my hand and could have stabbed you,” she advised holding the utensil in her right hand.

In the blink of an eye, Bucky disarmed her.

Smiling, he said, “Okay...and now you don’t. I’ve been gone for two and a half weeks. You could at least be glad to see me,” he joked as he placed the knife on the counter in front of her.

“Of course I’m glad to see you, silly!” she replied and then kissed him on his left cheek.

“These are for you,” Bucky said as he presented the bouquet to her.

“Aw, Winter, they’re lovely! Thank you,” she cooed as she grasped the flowers and sniffed them. As they embraced and kissed lovingly, she rested her right hand on the back of his neck.

“Wow, girl. You really _did_ miss me,” the soldier whispered with a smile.

“Sure did,” she confessed. “Are you hungry? Lunch is ready.”

Bucky kissed Darcy on her forehead and then stepped into her living room. “I’m gonna wash my hands first,” he called over his shoulder as he walked to her bathroom.

Darcy removed a clear vase from a cabinet, filled it with water, and arranged the flowers in it.

Turning, she looked at Bucky’s duffel bag.

‘One of us is gonna trip on that,’ she thought as she walked over and picked it up. With the bag half unzipped, she looked in and saw his blue tunic. Darcy had never seen him wear it, and her curiosity got the better of her. Reaching into the bag, she slowly examined it. Noticing what looked like a spot of blood on it, she wondered, ‘Is that his or someone else’s?’

From the bathroom, Bucky called, “I’ve got another surprise for you.” He dried his hands and joined her in the living room. “That’s not it,” he advised as he took the duffel bag from her and pushed aside his tunic. When he pulled out his hand, in it was a silver motorcycle helmet.

“What’s this?” she wondered.

“It’s a helmet. You wear it when you ride a motorcycle.”

“I know that, silly. I always wear _your_ helmet,” she reminded him.

“Well, you don’t have to anymore. Now, you have your own,” he noted.

Smiling up at him, Darcy quietly said, “Thank you, Winter.”

As he zipped his duffel bag, she thought, ‘I wish other people could see what I see when I look at him. After everything he’s been through, he’s so kind and thoughtful.’

Taking his duffel bag from the soldier, she walked over and placed it on her desk laying the helmet next to it.

“You brought your uniform,” she stated with her back to him.

“...Yeah,” he softly replied. She turned and stared at him for a few moments, which caused him to ask, “Is something wrong?”

“No...just wondered...” she remarked as she thought about the spot of blood on his tunic.

“I might have something to do when I leave, so...”

The two were quiet for a few moments. Darcy knew that there was much that the soldier could never tell her and though she worried about him, she decided not to press him for details.

Joining him again, she declared, “God, I’ve missed you.”

“Me too,” he agreed.

Darcy reached up and tucked some of Bucky’s hair behind his left ear.

“So, how was Wakanda?” she wondered as they walked to her small kitchen table.

“Oh...it was...work...” he said with a shrug of his shoulders.

“Can’t talk about it, huh?” she gathered.

“Not really – no...but I wish I could take you there one day.”

Darcy beamed at the prospect of seeing his adoptive homeland.

“It sounds beautiful,” she imagined.

“It is. I’d love for you to meet my goats, too.”

“I would love that,” Darcy said. She noted that he was always tanned when he returned from Africa. Now, she assumed that it must come from tending to his goats on the beautiful Wakandan farmland.

Pointing at the small paper bag on the kitchen counter, Bucky said, “Oh yeah...those are plums that I bought this morning.”

“Oooh, I can’t wait to taste those,” Darcy cooed as she spooned some salad onto his plate.

“They’re really good today,” Bucky remarked as he picked up his fork. “I got them at a stall in the farmer’s market.”

Darcy froze as suddenly she was reminded of the brunette with the baby who she saw him with earlier.

“Oh...I’m sure they’re...delicious,” she mumbled. Feeling uncomfortable, she tucked her hair behind her left ear and wondered, “So, how’s Wanda doing?”

“Okay, I guess. You talk to her more than I do,” replied Bucky as he twirled spaghetti noodles with his fork.

“No, I don’t.”

“Yeah, you do. I thought you were meeting for coffee a couple of times a week,” the soldier insisted.

“We do, but I thought she was tutoring you in Sokovian.”

Knitting his eyebrows, Bucky clarified, “She’s not ‘tutoring’ me. I just practice my Sokovian with her. You know...so she has someone to talk to in her own language. She must feel all alone not having anyone from home to...”

Bucky abruptly stopped and stared down at his plate. Darcy watched his demeanor darken as they both realized that he could be considered “all alone” as well.

Feeling awkward, Bucky changed the subject.

“So, how was Vermont? Did you figure out the anomaly?”

Lost in thought, Darcy looked at him for a moment before asking, “Huh?”

“The anomaly? Vermont?”

Preoccupied with thoughts of Bucky and the brunette, it took her a moment to realize what he was talking about.

“...Uh...oh, it wasn’t as big a deal as Jane initially thought it was. She gave me a stack of notes to type for her, though. She and Eric are gonna investigate some more and – ”

“Eric?”

“Dr. Eric Selvig. He’s an astrophysicist who kind of advises Jane...”

“Oh, yeah. I think you’ve mentioned him before,” he replied and then sipped a glass of iced tea that he had poured for himself.

After a pause, Darcy said, “Winter?”

Bucky did not answer.

“Winter!”

“...Yeah?”

“Why don’t you teach me something?”

“Teach you something? Like what?” the soldier wondered.

“I don’t know...like surveillance or hacking...”

Bucky stared at her curiously. “Why would I want to do that?”

“So I could help you,” she said.

“... _‘Help’_ me?”

“Yeah...so we could do things together.”

“We do things together.”

“Oh, yeah?” she asked. “Like what?’

Bucky raised an eyebrow and grinned devilishly.

“I mean something other than _that,”_ she snapped and kicked him under the table.

“Ow!” Bucky yelped. “Seriously, ‘Darce,’ I don’t want you doing what I do.”

“Why not?” she pressed.

“Because what I do is dangerous, and I don’t want to put you in harm’s way. I’d never forgive myself for that,” he informed her.

“I can take care of myself, you know.”

“There may be some tough spots that Taser can’t get you out of, Darcy.”

She stared at him for a long moment and then conceded, “Okay, I’ll take that as a ‘hard no.’”

Although Darcy was disappointed with his response, she was happy to know that he really cared about her safety.

Bucky reached for his glass and took another sip.

Picking at her food, Darcy suddenly asked, “Winter? What do you think about kids?”

Bucky instantly choked and spat out a spray of iced tea.

“Oh, God! Are you okay?” she yelped as she quickly rose, stepped over, and smacked him sharply on his back.

Red faced, he coughed repeatedly and gasped for air.

Darcy handed him a napkin and gently rubbed his back.

As Bucky caught his breath, he said with a raspy voice, _“Kids?_ Darcy, we’re not even living together.”

“Not _US,_ silly! I meant kids in general. I guess that answers my question.”

Realizing that he had hurt her feelings, he remarked, “I’m sorry. You just caught me by surprise – that’s all.”

“You okay?” she asked as her left hand brushed hair out of his face.”

“Yeah...I’m good,” the soldier assured her with a nod. When Darcy returned to her chair across from his, the intrigued soldier asked, “‘Darce,’ is there something you want to tell me?”

The lovely brunette stared down at her plate for a few moments as she wondered if what came next would ruin their relationship. Finally, she decided that a direct approach would be best.

“I saw you today at the farmer’s market.”

“You did?” Bucky asked. “You should have come over and said hello.”

“You were with someone.”

Bucky tried to recall his day thus far and who he had encountered. Finally, he remembered meeting Jessica Drew, and he smiled.

“Oh, yeah! I saw Jessica,” he beamed cheerfully.

“Jessica?” Darcy wondered trying to recall if he had ever mentioned someone by that name before.

“Yeah...Jessica Drew – Spider-Woman.”

“You know Spider-Woman?” she inquired with great interest.

“Yeah. She and I were both Hydra assassins – not together but each at some point. We both spent a lot of time in cryostasis. She’s done a lot to redeem herself and gain trust.”

Thinking for a moment, Darcy observed, “Sounds like you two have a lot in common.”

“I guess we do,” he agreed after considering her comment. “She doesn’t have many friends, so I try to be there for her...even when we’re not on a mission together. We’ve been through a lot of the same things...”

Feeling guilty for broaching the subject, Darcy asked quietly, “Is she okay?”

“Yeah, she’s good. She works as a private investigator now. She usually operates on her own, but sometimes she works with her friend Jessica Jones. She’s a detective, too.”

“The two Jessicas?” Darcy asked with a snort.

“Yeah, what are the chances, huh?” Bucky laughed. “Anyway, Jess is doing pretty well and trying to maintain a normal life.” After a moment, Bucky remembered Darcy’s question about children. “You asked me about kids. Was that because you saw Jessica’s baby?”

Ashamed, Darcy admitted, “Yeah. You looked so cute together.”

Smiling, Bucky remarked, “Thanks, ‘Darce.’ Gerry’s a cute kid, and Jess is a great mom.”

“I’m sure she is,” Darcy said softly as she picked at her food. ‘I’m such an idiot for being jealous,’ she scolded herself.

After a few moments of eating quietly, Bucky spoke.

“So, you said you had notes to type,” he reminded her.

“Oh, yeah...the notes from our ‘field trip.’”

“So, how’s that going?”

Sighing, she replied, “It’s going really slow. I click ‘Save,’ and it takes a long time for my computer to do anything. Heck, even trying to open files takes forever. At this rate, I’ll never get it all done.”

“Hmm...” Bucky said glancing over at the old laptop on her desk. “Want me to take a look at it?”

Darcy knew that the soldier was good with computers, but she did not realize that was an understatement. In fact, Hydra had trained him to be one of the best hackers in the world. Unaware of this, she chirped, “If you could, that’d be great!”

“Sure,” the soldier agreed as he finished his lunch. “No problem.”

Darcy took their plates and placed them in the sink. Meanwhile, Bucky walked over, pressed the laptop’s power button, and waited for what seemed like an eternity for the computer to boot. By the time Darcy was finished with the washing up, the system had finally launched.

“Ooooookay,” Bucky said as he cracked his knuckles.

“See what I mean?” Darcy quipped as she dried her hands. “That thing is as slow as a snail.”

Bucky began to zip the cursor around before he suddenly began to type feverishly. As he keenly focused on what he was doing, Darcy placed a chair next to his and sat down. Watching curiously, she could not keep up with him. Finally, after several moments, she queried, “So? What’s the verdict, Einstein?”

Bucky kept typing as he responded. “Uh...I’ve got some bad news for you, ‘Darce.’”

“Oh...I was afraid of that. Well, spit it out. I’m a big girl. I can take it.”

“For one thing, you had a virus.”

Darcy gasped and stared at him with her mouth agape.

“Are you kidding me? How the hell...?” she wondered.

“...and you’re pretty low on RAM and disk space,” he continued. “That’s why this thing is crawling. I deleted some larger files to make room for a virus protector, but it’s not really going to run any faster. You need either more RAM and space or a new computer.”

Devastated, Darcy sat back in her chair. Woefully, she asked, “How much is _that_ gonna cost?”

“RAM’s not expensive, but this computer is really old – almost as old as I am,” he joked hoping it would soften the blow of the bad news.

When Darcy’s sad expression did not change, he decided it was best to just give her the worst of the news.

“I’m sorry, ‘Darce.’ You’ve maxed out the RAM, and it’s not upgradable.”

“So, what are you saying? Are you saying I’m screwed?”

Bucky looked at her apologetically and bit his bottom lip.

On the verge of tears, she wondered, “What am I gonna do, Winter? I’ve got to get that work done.”

“Do you ever use thumb drives to store your work?” he queried.

“I think you probably know the answer to that,” she quipped.

After a few moments of thought, he said, “Come on. Let’s go to the electronics store and see what we can do.”

Frowning, Darcy advised, “Winter, you know Jane can’t afford to pay me much, so a spending spree is out of the question.”

“Well, she’s your boss. Can’t she buy you a computer?”

“Jane survives on grant money. That mostly covers the rent on office space and travel expenses. Thank God my rent here hasn’t gone up, or I’d be living on the street.”

Bucky gave her a faint smile because he knew that Darcy’s rent had in fact been raised. For months, he had secretly been paying the difference and had the promise of her superintendent not to tell her.

Determined to help her, he offered, “We can at least get some thumb drives and maybe see if they have something that’s been reconditioned. You never know.”

“Wait – _‘we’?_ No! You’re not buying anything for me,” she protested.

“Darcy, let me help you,” he begged putting his hand on her shoulder.

“Nooooo,” she insisted.

The two sat quietly for a few moments and then the soldier said, “Darcy, I get paid very well for what I do, but I never spend any of it. Why won’t you let me help you?”

Her sea foam colored eyes stared into his blue as she persisted.

“Winter, it’s not that I don’t appreciate it. Look, my family never had money. We Lewises have always worked hard for everything we got. There’s just no way I’m taking anything from you. Thanks, but I need to somehow do this on my own.”

Bucky thought for a few moments and realized that there was no swaying her. He decided that he needed to come up with a different plan.

Encouragingly, he offered, “Come on, then. At least let me drive you to the store.”

* * * * * *

As Bucky and Darcy entered the electronics store, Darcy turned to the soldier and admonished him again. “All right. Remember, we’re just looking.”

“Yeah, yeah,” he agreed.

Perusing the laptops, Darcy began to sulk.

“Wow...there’s no way I could afford any of these.”

“You keep looking, and I’ll go ask about reconditioned computers. Okay?”

“I wish you wouldn’t bother,” she mumbled not taking her eyes off the laptop in front of her.

“I’ll be right back,” he advised.

Walking down an aisle, Bucky found a revolving rack, selected a gift card featuring a picture of a wrapped package, and chose a small white envelope. He then approached a clerk who was standing at a register.

“Hello. How may I help you?” the young redhead asked wearing a blue polo shirt and black pants.

“I’d like to pay for these,” Bucky replied, as he handed the card and envelope to her.

Ringing up the purchase, she asked, “How much would you like on the card?”

“Two thousand, please.”

The clerk flinched and looked at him. “Did you say, ‘two thousand’?” she wondered with surprise.

“Yes,” the soldier replied handing her a bank card.

After the clerk processed Bucky’s purchase, she asked, “Is there anything else I can help you with?”

“As a matter of fact, yes. You see that girl over there with the long brown hair?”

“Yes?” she replied cautiously.

“Could you do me a favor? Could you go over and give her this?” he asked handing the gift card back to the clerk. “Tell her she’s the 100th customer today and won a door prize. Tell her she can spend this on anything she wants.”

Looking at the soldier suspiciously, the clerk asked, “Do you know her?”

“Yeah...she’s...special to me,” he confessed.

“...A ‘door prize’?”

“Yeah,” Bucky confirmed with a boyish grin.

“Okay,” she agreed and then walked down the aisle toward Darcy with Bucky following at a short distance.

“Excuse me, Miss,” the clerk said.

“Yes?” asked Darcy with a sad face.

“I’ve got some good news for you. You’re our 100th customer today, which means you’ve won a door prize!”

Shocked, Darcy froze. Finally, she asked, “Did you say, _‘door prize’?”_

“Yes.”

“Me? I’ve never won anything in my life,” admitted Darcy.

“Well, you won today, and here’s your prize!” the clerk stated as she handed the gift card to Darcy.

“This is AWESOME! Hey, Wint– I mean ‘Bucky.’ I won a door prize!” she called to the soldier as he approached.

“You did? That’s great!” he remarked pretending that he had nothing to do with it.

Opening the envelope, Darcy pulled out the gift card and turned it over in her hand. “Wow! I don’t mean to sound greedy, but how much did I win?” she wondered hoping it was a few hundred dollars.

“Smiling, the clerk told her proudly, “It’s worth two thousand dollars.”

Darcy’s jaw slowly dropped until her mouth was agape. “I could have sworn you said, ‘two thousand.’”

“I _did_ say two thousand,” the clerk assured her.

With her eyes as big as saucers, Darcy stared at the clerk in dismay. “Two thousand? Hot damn!” Turning to Bucky, she gushed, “Winter, did you hear that? I won two thousand dollars! What are the chances, huh?”

Grinning, the soldier replied, “Darcy, that’s awesome,” and then winked at the clerk.

“So, I can spend this money on anything I want?” she asked cautiously.

“You sure can,” assured the clerk.

Thrilled, Darcy declared, “Heck, I’m buying EVERYTHING!”

Both Bucky and the clerk laughed at her excitement.

“I’ll leave you to it. If you have any questions, just let me know,” the clerk advised before stepping away.

“Winter, I don’t know where to start. You’re the expert. What should I get?” asked Darcy anxiously.

“Well, I think along with a new laptop, you should buy plenty of storage. Let’s check out the specs and see what you need.”

The two began to examine the computers and as they read the specifications, Darcy leaned against the rugged soldier. He liked the fragrance of her shampoo and sniffed at her hair to get more of the scent. Several minutes passed before Bucky looked down and noticed that Darcy was holding his gloved cybernetic hand. The sight caused him to pause for a moment, touched as he was by the tender gesture.

When they had finally decided on equipment, Bucky called the clerk over to inform her of Darcy’s selections.

Darcy stepped over to pull a few thumb drives from a rack as the clerk whispered to the soldier, “That’s such a nice thing that you did.”

“She’s a sweet girl. She deserves it,” he informed her.

Twenty minutes later, Bucky carried Darcy’s purchases into the parking lot and strapped the packages to the back of his motorcycle. Satisfied that everything was secure, he started the bike to drive back to Darcy’s apartment building. He was unable to see her face behind him, but she smiled all the way home.

Upon entering the building, the two were met by Darcy’s superintendent as they passed him on the stairs.

“Well, if it isn’t my favorite young couple!” the elderly man gleefully remarked.

“Good afternoon, sir,” greeted Bucky.

“Oh, Mr. Higgins! The most wonderful thing happened today. I won a door prize at the electronics store. Isn’t that wild?” Darcy exclaimed.

“Did you now?” he asked with dismay.

“Yeah, and I bought a whole bunch of stuff with the prize money. It’s like the best thing that ever happened to me – the best day of my life!”

“Well, congratulations, Miss Darcy!” the man replied and then winked at Bucky. “I won’t keep you as I’m sure those packages are heavy.”

“We’ll see you later, Mr. Higgins!” Darcy remarked as she happily proceeded up the stairs.

“Good-bye, sir,” called Bucky as he followed her.

“See you kids later,” the older man replied as he went on his way.

Upon entering Darcy’s apartment, she and Bucky placed the packages on her desk.

“I’m so excited!” she squealed as she emptied one of the bags.

Laughing, the soldier noted, “I can tell.”

Pausing to address him sincerely, she wondered, “Winter, do you have time to help me set this up?”

“There’s really nothing to it,” he assured her. “I’d be happy to help you, though.”

“Awesome!” she cheered and then started opening boxes.

* * * * * *

Two hours and three cups of coffee later, Bucky was still sitting with Darcy at her desk.

“So, that’s about it,” said the soldier. “It might take a few days to get used to the latest versions of apps but you’re smart, so you’ll get the hang of it. I set up your virus protection. Just remember to backup files to your mass storage units. Any questions?”

Darcy stared at him with her unblinking sea foam colored eyes. Squeezing his right hand, she chirped, “I think I’ve got it.”

Smiling, he assured her, “You’ll be fine. If you have any questions, just ask me.”

“Thanks, Winter!” she said as she threw her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek. “I really owe you one.”

“It’s my pleasure, ‘Darce,’” he whispered softly.

Looking at her watch, she suddenly exclaimed, “Wow! We’ve been at this all day. Can I at least treat you to dinner?”

“...Well...” the soldier replied as he considered her offer.

“Oh...you said you had somewhere to be!” she suddenly recalled. “I’m not keeping you, am I?”

“I was supposed to get a message about that, but so far – nothing. So, I guess I’m free.”

“Great! How about that Chinese place around the corner?” she wondered.

“Sounds good,” the soldier agreed. Handing Darcy her peacoat, he asked, “Shall we?”

Laughing, Darcy took the coat and walked toward the door. As Bucky opened it for her, she declared, “This is the most perfect day!”

* * * * * *

For an hour, Bucky and Darcy sat in the restaurant cuddling as they consumed their meal. When they returned to her apartment building, the soldier was carrying in his left hand a white bag containing a box of leftover steamed rice, another of potstickers, and a few fortune cookies.

As they climbed the stairs and entered her apartment, Bucky began to feel guilty for not being honest about the door prize.

‘She really needed my help. I hate not being honest with her, but she wouldn’t have accepted the help otherwise.’

“Hey, look!” Darcy exclaimed as she opened a fortune cookie. “My fortune says, _‘Time with a friend is time well spent.’_ How true is that?”

Laughing, Bucky replied, “They sure got your number today.”

“Yeah. Today, I feel like I landed in gravy, and I owe it all to you,” she cooed as she stood on her toes and kissed him on the lips. “If you hadn’t taken me to the electronics store, none of it would have happened.”

“It’s my pleasure, Darcy,” he assured her.

Just then, Bucky’s cell phone buzzed. When he pulled it from his pocket, they both stared at it expecting bad news.

Looking at her apologetically, he was saddened that he would have to leave now.

As the soldier was about to speak, Darcy said with a smirk, “I know. Go get ‘em, tiger.”

He kissed her gently on her forehead and whispered, “I’ll be back soon.”

“You better,” she replied as she poked him in his muscular stomach.

Turning, Bucky picked up his duffel bag and slung it over his shoulder. With Darcy following him, he walked to the door, stepped into the hall, and turned to kiss her once again.

Darcy closed the door behind him, reset the alarm, and fondly recalled the day that Bucky installed it for her safety.

‘I wonder if he knows what a great guy he is,’ she thought with a smile. ‘What a keeper.’


End file.
